“Todos Somos Luchadores Inmigrantes: We Are All Immigrant Warriors" at the German American Heritage Center -- through August 27.
Through Sunday, August 27
German American Heritage Center, 712 West Second Street, Davenport IA
A collaboration between the German American Heritage Center and the artist Miriam Alarcón Avila and her "Immigrant Luchadores" project, Todos Somos Luchadores Inmigrantes: We Are All Immigrant Warriors will be housed at the Davenport venue through August 27 , the exhibit an exploration that looks for the connections between immigrants of German origin and Latino immigrants who have moved throughout the American continent and have established themselves as immigrants in the United States.
Although the countries of origin are distant, and with different time lines and also with a different language, the similarities of the migratory histories are very close, contributing many aspects together as immigrants. With the Todos Somos Luchadores Inmigrantes: We Are All Immigrant Warriors exhibit, the German American Heritage Center hopes that viewers will discover why we are all striving immigrants in this country. The exhibition was made possible with support from Group O and Quad City Arts.
Miriam Alarcón Avila is a photographer and visual, multimedia, and storytelling artist who began experimenting with photography in 1986, inspired by the beauty, vivid colors, and abundant textures found in her culture. When Avila moved to Iowa in 2002, she began working in various photography labs, and - with digital mediums to document the work of musicians and local artists - with the goal of embracing and showcasing the cultural diversity of the Midwest. As part of her professional work, she documented musicians appearing at the University of Iowa's Hancher Auditorium and across campus, as well as music and artistic venues throughout Iowa City, photographing world wide performance artists. Along with her professional work, she also collaborated on photo and video documentation projects for numerous nonprofit arts, cultural and community organizations. Her photographic work appeared in several local and national newspapers and magazines.
In 2017, Avila received an Iowa Arts Council grant award to develop “Luchadores Immigrants in Iowa,” a photo-documentary project that gave voice to new Iowans and shared their challenges as immigrants of Latino heritage; which has become on her personal long-term project. The exhibit, Luchadores Immigrants in Iowa, appeared at various universities and venues across Iowa, including the University of Iowa, Drake University, Muscatine Art Center, and St. Ambrose University, and received regional media attention.
Todos Somos Luchadores Inmigrantes: We Are All Immigrant Warriors will be on display at the German American Heritage Center through August 27, with regular venue hours Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. Exhibit entrance is free with $3-5 museum admission, and more information is available by calling (563)322-8844 and visiting GAHC.org.
